After weeks of anticipation since the 2024 Draft Lottery, the Montreal Canadiens will finally take to the stage to draft the fifth pick overall tomorrow. Unless of course, general manager Kent Hughes surprises us all with a trade to either move up or down. In the final sprint before the draft, Montreal Hockey Now’s Marco D’Amico reports the Canadiens are set to meet at least three players today: Ivan Demidov, Cayden Lindstrom and Cole Eiserman. Does that mean they’ll be picked by the Canadiens? There’s no guarantee, but we certainly can’t exclude it. Here’s the latest on the three prospects.
Cayden Lindstrom’s Health Concerns
While we’ve known for some time that Lindstrom missed a lot of action this season because of injuries, it has been revealed that the back ailment that kept him out of action for three months was a herniated disc. However, TSN reports the young man is confident the back injury is now in the past.
Herniated discs shouldn’t be taken lightly though, it was a herniated disc that forced Mario Lemieux to have back surgery in 1989-90, and in 1993-94, he also had to deal with a herniated muscle in his back.
That being said, Lindstrom showed up at the combine, and teams were provided with two medical reports stating he would make a complete recovery from his back injury. Fear not, should the Canadiens decide to opt for Lindstrom at fifth overall, they will have done their due diligence. This will be the second time the organization meets with him and that has to be a sign of interest. TSN’s Bob MacKenzie has got Lindstrom going at fifth overall in his draft rankings, but the Hockey Writers’ draft rankings have him at seventh overall. Not long to wait to find out who is right!
Moving up for Ivan Demidov?
While Demidov did not show up at the combine, he did hold a showcase in Florida which was attended by the Canadiens. The Russian prospect confirmed to Tony Marinaro in a media availability that he would be meeting again with the Canadiens today.
Demidov is committed to playing for one more year in Russia before coming over to North America, but that shouldn’t be an issue since it’s no longer a given that first-round picks will be playing in the NHL right away. You only have to think of Filip Mesar and David Reinbacher to know that.
Related: 2024 Draft Prospect Ivan Demidov Could Be Perfect Player for Canadiens’ St. Louis
Demidov’s stock has risen of late. McKenzie’s got him at second overall, just like the Hockey Writers’ draft rankings. If he goes that early, Montreal might not even get a chance to draft him, unless, of course, Hughes has a “Go straight to go and collect $200” up his sleeve to pull off a trade to move up a few positions at tomorrow night’s draft. However, there’s always a chance that those picking ahead of Montreal are enticed by one of the stud defensemen available such as Anton Silayev or Artyom Levshunov.
Head coach Martin St. Louis must be very interested in working with Demidov considering how well he reads the game on the ice and the plays he can pull off.
Moving up or Down for Eiserman?
This is the most intriguing of the three meetings. Eiserman is not top-five material, but he won’t fall to 26 either. Should the Canadiens really want to get him or if he is their backup plan in light of the selections made by the first four teams speaking before them, the Canadiens could trade down with their fifth pick or move up from their 26th pick.
McKenzie lists Eiserman at pick 13, while the Hockey Writers’ draft rankings list him at eight, right behind Lindstrom. Obviously, the strategy changes depending on whose take you go with. For the last few months, Eiserman has been sitting outside of the top ten so we’ll start with that one.
With the left winger being at spot 13, I believe a package built around the 26th pick and a roster player with salary retained could be a good idea. Lately, we’ve been hearing Hughes would like to trade Joel Armia and Christian Dvorak. I’m not convinced either of those two would do it. I’m thinking more along the lines of an NHL-ready young defenceman or perhaps Josh Anderson and a prospect.
If the Canadiens believe Eiserman will go around eight and their other options are off the board, perhaps they could trade down, but in that situation, they’d be the ones cashing in on the trade. Could this be the way to get another top-six player? That might just be the ticket.
With this draft looking quite unpredictable, you won’t regret tuning in to watch on Friday night. I anticipate hearing the words: “We’ve got a trade to announce” a few times. It could be a busy night for commissioner Gary Bettman.
